Author: Jeff Giles (Page 30 of 41)

Chop Chop: Screens

November 7, 2008 / Jeff Giles

If you’ve ever wondered what it might sound like if Liz Phair listened to a lot of Portishead, you’ll want to drop whatever you’re doing and order a copy of Chop Chop’s Screens right now – these 12 tracks surround Catherine Cavanagh’s frail, icy vocals with cheap-sounding digital rhythms, drape the occasional French horn or xylophone over the framework, and call it pop. The record has plenty of vibe, and loads of the I-love-you-leave-me-alone attitude that we crave from our indie chick singers, but it rarely rises above mood music; vast stretches of Screens don’t do much besides wander around slowly in search of a hook, and the performances are so dispassionate that you can listen to the album half a dozen times without feeling like it’s any closer to letting you in. The band has previously covered Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” so you know they’ve heard music that successfully contrasts messy human emotions with machine-driven precision – they just didn’t bother, or weren’t able, to come up with any of it here. Screens is a fine record for playing while you’re curled up under the covers on a rainy day, crying about your latest heartbreak. Just don’t expect to feel like listening to it on many other occasions. (Arch Enemy 2008)

Chop Chop MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Chop Chop CD Review Screens CD Review

Nikka Costa: Pebble to a Pearl

November 7, 2008 / Jeff Giles

She’s a young soul singer who has worked with Mark Ronson and just happens to be Caucasian, but her name isn’t Amy Winehouse – and actually, Nikka Costa has been at this longer than her beehived tabloid-queen counterpart: her Virgin debut, 2001’s Everybody’s Got Their Something, featured some of the same old-school/new-school production that Ronson brought to Winehouse’s 2007 breakthrough, which has to grate on Costa a little, especially given that she’s now in her mid 30s, and has been delivering consistently entertaining music for close to a decade now with very little to show for it. If she’s bothered, though, it doesn’t show here: Pebble to a Pearl is her best effort to date. Not coincidentally, it’s also her Stax debut – free from the Top 40 pressures of her Virgin contract, Costa abandons any attempts to sound modern, focusing instead on classic grooves (supplied by Winehouse’s favorite backing band, the Daptones) to go with her earthy, supple vocals. It’s a match made in heaven – or Muscle Shoals, which is close enough for soul fans jonesing for new music with a timeless vibe. By embracing her retro side, Costa foregoes the inclusion of anything as nouveau-funky as her debut’s “Like a Feather,” and by deliberately imitating her new label’s classic sound, she invites unfavorable comparisons with artists she can’t come close to matching, but this set is much more Pearl than Pebble. (Stax 2008)

Nikka Costa MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Soul

Nikka Costa CD Review Pebble to a Pearl CD Review

Jonatha Brooke: The Works

October 24, 2008 / Jeff Giles

Here’s something unexpected: Folk-pop pixie Jonatha Brooke, granted access to Woody Guthrie’s archives, takes the opportunity to co-write a batch of new songs with the American icon from beyond the grave, adding music to Guthrie’s lyrics, and drafting a sterling group of players (including Joe Sample, Steve Gadd, Christian McBride, Keb’ Mo’, Glen Phillips, and Eric Bazilian of the Hooters) to lend support. The end result sounds pretty much like any other Jonatha Brooke, which is both a little disappointing and a tribute to Brooke’s strength and presence as an artist. Listeners hoping for a whiff of the Dust Bowl will probably come away disenchanted; The Works tries hard, but although Brooke’s vocals might boast several compelling colors – weary, strong, sensual – they’re always pretty, and that placid, unflappable beauty prevents her from digging into the beautifully uneven spirit at the heart of Guthrie’s work. Still, even if it makes for a disappointing Woody Guthrie album, The Works stands tall as one of Brooke’s most assured and down-to-earth solo outings, and the musicianship is flawless from start to finish; the sessions were recorded in a two-day burst, leaving the songs with a wonderfully relaxed warmth. Add it to your brunch playlist and repeat as necessary. (Bad Dog 2008)

Jonatha Brooke MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Pop

Jonatha Brooke CD Review The Works CD Review Woody Guthrie

Les Paul & Friends: A Tribute to a Legend

October 17, 2008 / Jeff Giles

It must have looked great on paper, and few musicians are more deserving of a tribute than Les Paul, but as misbegotten encomiums go, Les Paul & Friends: A Tribute to a Legend ranks somewhere near or below George Martin’s disastrous In My Life — and that album featured performances from Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, so you know you’re on dangerous ground here. Tribute is a hack job, from the shoddy artwork (which lists the tracks in the wrong order) to the songs themselves, a handful of which have been poached from the last Les Paul tribute album, 2005’s American Made World Played. What you end up with is a foul-smelling hash that has its high points (notably “The Good Luck You’re Having,” featuring guitar work from Paul, Hiram Bullock, and Joe Bonamassa), but also answers the question of what it would sound like if Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls covered U2 (answer: he’d make “All I Want Is You” sound vaguely like “Black Balloon”) and leaves room for Jeff Golub to add an inexplicable cover of Ace’s “How Long.” What does this have to do with Les Paul? In most cases, not much – in fact, Paul doesn’t even appear on some tracks. It has the look and feel of a shady licensing deal gone wrong, but even if you choose to believe the folks who put it together had the best intentions, there’s no reason to purchase this album. Pick up 2005’s The Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition instead, and leave this to the truck stops and swap meets it deserves. (Immergent 2008)

Les Paul MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Hiram Bullock Joe Bonamassa Les Paul and Friends review

Josh Rouse: The Best of the Rykodisc Years

October 17, 2008 / Jeff Giles

His sales have never quite caught up with the critical accolades his albums have piled up over the last decade, but for lovers of gently introspective singer/songwriter folk-pop, Josh Rouse has been one of the last decade’s most trustworthy artists. He’s been one of the most prolific, too, racking up an impressive eight “official” releases over the last 10 years, plus an array of EPs, digital collections, and other assorted goodies – which is why, even though you may have never heard of Rouse, this two-CD best-of both fills a need and serves a purpose. The first disc collects 18 tracks from Rouse’s five Ryko full-lengths and adds a song from his collaboration with Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner for good measure. The track listing leans slightly heavier on Rouse’s more recent stuff, which is a good thing, as it means more room is devoted to the sunny 1972 and stellar Nashville; meanwhile, on the second disc, fans are treated to the entirety of 2001’s rarities compilation, Bedroom Classics, Vol. 1, as well as a smattering of demos and outtakes. There probably isn’t much here that Rouse fanatics haven’t already found one way or another, but it’s still nice to get it all in one place – and as a primer for one of the most sweetly melodic artists of the genre, it’s just about flawless. (Rykodisc 2008)

Josh Rouse MySpace page